This c. 1850s-60s transformation card looks very much as if hand-drawn in ink, but I think must be printed, because I've found documentation of a few decks out there produced by Maclure, McDonald and Macgregor, Manchester, England, that feature it. Incorporating the pips on playing cards into characters and scenarios, transformation cards first emerged in the very early 1800s in Europe, as the standard form for playing cards had become fixed, and continue to be produced today. I always keep an eye out for early examples of these, which are quite precious, looking for ones like this that feel concise and perfectly responsive to the nature of the existing card--here with the two spades at either end of the card, already feeling as if engaged in a push-pull dynamic, animated as characters in a tug-of-war. Plus I love that the one at left looks like a lion! A great example.
3 3/4" x 2 1/2". Good condition, with general wear and toning/soiling.
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